Baltimore Activist Alert September 28 – September 30, 2014

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center. Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com. If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org.

1] Books, buttons & stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists
4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa
5] Food drive – through Nov. 8
6] Music and Peace – Sept. 28
7] Peace and Pancakes – Sept. 28
8] Silent vigil for Gaza – Sept. 28
9] Max, at the Baltimore Book Festival, needs a parking space – Sept. 28
10] Save Energy at Home – Sept. 28
11] Screening of PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK – Sept. 28
12] Spiritual Roots of Protest – Sept. 28
13] Green Forum – Sept. 28
14] Grassroots Jerusalem – Sept. 28
15] Pentagon Vigil – Sept. 29
16] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Sept. 29 – Oct. 3
17] What’s up in Tunisia? – Sept. 29
18] Unite in solidarity with the Child Migrants – Sept. 29
19] Seminar “Ensuring a World Fit for Children?” – Sept. 29
20] Pledge/FOC meeting – Sept. 29
21] "Getting to a Good Iranian Nuclear Deal" – Sept. 30
22] Providing language help – Sept. 30
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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him at 410-366-1637.
2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.
3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR]. It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed. It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq. To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski at Verizon dot net. Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.
THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe. It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing. To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.
4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale. For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.
Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month. Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered. Send it to Francine Sheppard at 5639B, Harpers Farm Rd., Columbia 21044. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Francine at 410-992-7679 or FrancineMSW@aol.com.
5] – The Men and Families Center, 2222 Jefferson St., Baltimore, continues its food drive through Sat., Nov. 8. The organization is collecting canned and unperishable goods so that food pantries in the center are stocked for the holidays! Call Quandra or Rodney at 410-614-5353 or email menandfamiliescenter.org.
6] - Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 AM to noon. On Sun., Sept. 28, the platform address is “Music and Peace” by Hugh Taft-Morales, leader, Baltimore Ethical Society. Growing up in the sixties, Hugh Taft-Morales experienced the peace movement as intimately wrapped up with music. Singing seemed a great way to give peace a chance. While martial compositions have also been used for centuries to drive our troops into harm’s way, music can offer aesthetically transcendent and communal experiences useful in building a culture of peace. Felix Adler, the founder of Ethical Culture, appreciated the power of music in creating a “deeper psychology” and “richer experience” some humanist value. Come explore humanistic harmony and the challenge of being a peace activist. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.
Then at 2 PM, join in the launch of Sunday Assembly Baltimore! What happens at a Sunday Assembly? A Sunday Assembly service consists of songs (pop songs mainly) sung by the congregation, a reading (usually a poet), an interesting talk (that fits into live better, help often or wonder more), a moment of reflection and an address, which sums up the day and hopefully gives a take home message. Afterwards, have tea and cake and mingle. Read more at http://sundayassembly.com.
7] - Join the Kadampa Meditation Center for Peace and Pancakes on Sundays at 10:30 AM at KMC Maryland, 2937 North Charles St. All are invited to participate in guided meditation and chant praying for world peace. There will be a talk based on Buddhist thought followed by brunch. Call 410- 243-3837. Brunch is $5.
8] – Attend a silent vigil for Gaza on Sun., Sept. 28 at Park Heights Ave. and Slade Ave., Baltimore. Show your opposition to Israel’s violence in Gaza, and call for an end to the occupation. Stand at the intersection on the grass from 11 AM to 1 PM. RSVP to rjochs@comcast.net. Bring signs. Here are suggestions: stop occupation, justice for Palestine, stop massacre or stop US arms & aid to Israel.

9] - The Baltimore Book Festival will run from noon to 6 PM on Sun., Sept. 28, in the Inner Harbor area. Max’s booth is P49 in Rash Field--Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility. Parking is very expensive or impossible in the area. If you have any suggestions to alleviate the situation, contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net. Visit http://baltimorebookfestival.org.

10] - On Sun., Sept. 28 at 11:30 AM, there will be a Save Energy at Home with a workshop at Our Lady Queen of Peace, 2700 S. 19th St, Arlington and another at 7 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4444 Arlington Blvd., Arlington. There is a 6 PM potluck.

Based on the same principle as buying in bulk, the group will go through the process of purchasing home solar systems together. Guided by the Community Power Network, which has successfully organized several such co-ops previously, the group will select a single contractor to install systems on all of the homes. Each participant will own their system and will sign their own contract with the chosen installer, but everyone will get the group discount.

By going solar as a group, participants will save up to 30% off the cost of a solar electricity system, and will have the support of the co-op throughout the process instead of having to go it alone. These buying groups are being sponsored by Interfaith Power & Light and are open to any Baltimore-area or Northern Virginia homeowner. Email BaltimoreInterfaith@communitypowernetwork.com for Baltimore or novainterfaith@communitypowernetwork.com for Northern Virginia.

11] – On Sun., Sept. 28 at 2 PM - the NoVA Chapter of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy is hosting a film screening of the HBO documentary PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK. It is being co-sponsored and held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, located at the intersection of Route 50 and N. George Mason Dr. The program features the film and a discussion of advocacy opportunities in VA on issues related to poverty.

12] – On Sun., Sept. 28 at 3 PM, participate in Pursuing the Spiritual Roots of Protest: A Historic Model for Discerning Responses to Uncertain Times, with Gordon Oyer, at Project HOME, 1515 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia, PA, 19130. Fifty years ago this November, several committed Christian peacemakers gathered for a retreat to discern meaningful nonviolent responses to a time of war and social crises. The retreat, hosted by Thomas Merton, included Dan and Phil Berrigan, John Howard Yoder, A.J. Muste, and Jim Forest. The retreat's story and its themes have been captured in a recently published book, “Pursuing the Spiritual Roots of Protest: Merton, Berrigan, Yoder, and Muste at the Gethsemani Abbey Peacemakers Retreat.” Oyer, the book’s author, will lead a discussion on how that fifty-year-old conversation can continue to inform us in our struggles for spiritually-grounded responses to the challenges of our own times: war, violence, economic inequity, and environmental devastation. Several groups are co-sponsoring the talk, including the Brandywine Peace Community. Call 215-842-1790.

13] – The BALTIMORE GREEN FORUM, a monthly environmental education and discussion forum, will occur on Sun., Sept. 28. Alan Hastings will present "Carbon Is Not the Problem." An event will take place from 4 to 5:30 PM followed by announcements & an optional discussion group from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. The forum will be at the Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson 21286. See http://www.mpchurch.org/About.htm. "Make no mistake, carbon is a problem, a big problem, and it is one which we absolutely must solve. But it is not the problem, and unless we solve the problem, we will not be able to solve carbon. Fortunately, understanding what the problem is not only strongly suggests that we can solve the problem, but gives us some good insights into how to solve it."

Hastings has had two careers so far. The first, as a computer engineer began in the 1970s with the design and marketing of an early desktop computer, embedded computers for use in industrial process control, cryptography and medical systems. His second career (and by far the better) was as a full time parent, which left plenty of time for computers, Linux, music and pipe organs. At a time when some people are choosing to retire, he is embarking on a third career trying to make a difference on climate change and economic justice.

The Forum seeks to educate and stimulate dialogue about what humans can do to make modern civilization more sustainable, including adjusting to finite resource limits and preserving biodiversity and a healthy environment. This is done through 8 monthly meetings a year. The topics are far ranging. They vary from local to planetary and from philosophical to scientific to very practical. The Meeting Format: There is a speaker and Q&A from 4-5:15 pm. Then there are brief announcements by representatives of other organizations that also seek sustainability and environmental protection. We thereby promote collaboration among these organizations. Next, there is an optional roundtable discussion until 6:30 PM. Finally, there is often a small gathering at a nearby restaurant.

BGF is open to the public and is free of charge, but donations to Maryland Presbyterian Church are collected during the meeting to thank the church for their generous gift of the space to us. Call Sam Hopkins at 410 554 0006 or email baltimoregreenforum@gmail.com. Visit http://www.baltimoregreen forum.org.

14] - On Sun., Sept. 28 from 6 to 8 PM, 1025 5th St. NW, WDC, Micha Kurz, on a tour of the U.S. from Israel, will provide a fresh perspective on the systematic disempowerment and dispossession of Palestinians in Jerusalem and the rapid encroachment of Israeli settlement building. He will discuss how his organization, Grassroots Jerusalem, is responding to the escalating crisis and what it is doing to prevent the disappearance of Palestinian Jerusalemites and their culture. He is a co-founder and co-director of Grassroots Jerusalem, and previously co-founded the Israeli group, Breaking the Silence, and has worked with numerous Israeli human rights and political activist organizations, including the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions and Ta'avush. Email jvpdcmetro@gmail.com.

15] -- There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop. The next vigil is Mon., Sept. 29, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro. By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr., and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM. No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

16] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 AM to noon on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org. The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by email to steinershow@gmail.com. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org.

17] – On Mon., Sept. 29 at 10 AM at the U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave. NW, WDC, met Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi, the president of Nahdha party, the leading political party in Tunisia, and a leading Islamic thinker. Since the early 1980s, He has been an advocate of the compatibility between Islam and the principles of pluralism, freedom, modernity and democratic governance. His views and writings are influential in Tunisia, and across the Arab and Muslim worlds. While Arab spring countries are threatened by violence and crises that may destabilize the entire region and that is forcing more military intervention by a reluctant Obama administration, Tunisia is steadily moving along on the path toward democracy at a critical point in its transition. Earlier this year Tunisia ratified a constitution widely hailed as the most progressive in the Arab world. Political parties are preparing for a new round of legislative and presidential elections in October and November that may usher in a new era in the history of Tunisia. Go to http://www.usip.org/events/mena-region-in-crisis-islam-democracy-and-extremism?utm_source=Rached+Ghannouchi+Lectures+in+Washington+DC%2C+New+York+CIty%2C+and+New+Haven%2C+CT&utm_campaign=Rached+Ghannouchi+Lectures+in+Washington+DC%2C+New+York+CIty%2C+and+New+Haven%2C+CT&utm_medium=email.

18] – Unite in solidarity with the Child Migrants on Mon., Sept. 29 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at St. Johns Church near the White House, 16th and H Sts. In so doing groups will engage and are in the process of making a Unity Quilt with many events that cater to raise awareness for this ongoing issue. The project is based on Latino Heritage Month quilting activity, which is based on the AIDS Quilt project & Raza murals in support of child migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border & in the area. Donate a used clean white T-shirts to make squares, or drop off 12” x 12” decorated T-shirt squares at boxes @JMZ 2211 or MICA.

The Quilt will be displayed on campus & at a public vigil at St. John’s Church / White House, H and 16th Sts. NW, WDC. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1543713389194819/?ref=6&ref_notif_type=plan_user_invited.

19] – There is a seminar “Ensuring a World Fit for Children?” Dr. James Riker will try to answer the question at 1104 South Campus Commons, Calvert Hall, Building 1, UMD College Park, on Mon., Sept. 29 from 7 to 9 PM. Attend a seminar that looks at the new proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the world community to act on by 2030 and what can citizens do to take action! See http://www.beyondtheclassroom.umd.edu/locationbtc.html.

20] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence. The next meeting will be on Mon., Sept. 29. The proposed agenda will include anti-drone activities, including the trial of the NSA Three and getting a drone resolution passed in Baltimore’s City Council, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine, the Climate Chaos march in NYC, the Sept. 23 action at the White House, and the Oct. 4 visit to the NSAs. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions.

21] – On Tues., Sept. 30 from 10 to 11:30 AM, David Albright, Institute for Science and International Security, and Olli Heinonen, Harvard University, will examine "Getting to a Good Iranian Nuclear Deal" at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, 1400 K St. NW, Suite 1250, WDC. RSVP to schnur@isis-online.org.

22] – You may remember the unfortunate incident last summer where language barriers led to a disappointing exchange between Mayor Gray and an Ethiopian shop keeper who is Limited English Proficient. In response to the incident, a Working Group was formed that has successfully advocated over the past year with different offices of D.C. Government to create a Walk Through Protocol for use by elected officials. On Tues., Sept. 30 at noon, there is a press conference at MLOV, 3166 Mount Pleasant St. NW, 2nd Floor, to announce the creation of this new protocol and to talk about how it will help strengthen Language Access in DC. See http://www.mlovdc.org/.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs